Statement on Pay Our Interns’ 3 Year Anniversary

Washington, D.C. – Pay Our Interns (POI) the nonprofit advocating for intern pay in Congress and throughout the region will be celebrating three years of success. Since POI launched it has worked with Congress, the DNC, Presidential Candidates, and several other organizations to ensure that paid internship opportunities are created and accessible. As of this writing, Congress has allocated over $30 million in intern pay, creating a pipeline for thousands of young adults from across the country to take on an internship on Capitol Hill. POI’s three-year celebration will be hosted at Hogan Lovells LLP in Washington, D.C. on November 12th, 2019.

This year POI has decided to forgo picking a Congressional Champion and introduce a trailblazer award that will be given to one (1) intern who exemplifies extraordinary abilities and has proven to be a true trailblazer in their role. Employers from across the country may nominate their interns and 3 finalists will be selected and broadcast on social media. One finalist will be flown into Washington, D.C., put up for a night and attend the Three Year Anniversary to receive their award along with a $1,500 cash prize.

The Trailblazer Award will be awarded to an intern who is nominated by their employer. The link to the nomination form will go live on 10.10.2019. From there, employers can fill the application and submit it to the POI system. Throughout the following days, POI will be reviewing applications and carefully examining the efforts of each intern nominated. Once selected, both the honoree and the nominator will be notified of the decision.

The nomination window for the Trailblazer Award will be open from 10.9.2019 until 10.25.2019. We encourage all employers to consider nominating their interns, this award is open to interns from all sectors of the workforce. Tickets for the POI Three Year Anniversary will go on sale Wednesday, October 9th, 2019.

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Pay Our Interns is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that advocates for more paid internships and expanding workforce development opportunities among youth. A student’s socioeconomic status should not be a barrier to getting real-world work experience. POI is headquartered in Washington, D.C. For more information visit www.payourinterns.com